Folding door fabric stiffening



June 25, 1963 P. sxNNocK 3,095,032

FOLDING DOOR FABRIC STIFFENING Filed June 6, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a l INVENTOR.

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P. SINNOCK FOLDING DOOR FABRIC STIFFENING June 25, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 6, 1960 w R. O m E wf 3,095,032 FOLDING DOR FABRIC STIFFENING Pomeroy Sinnoclr, New Castle, Ind., assigner to New Castle Products International, Inc., New Castle, Ind., a corporation of Liberia Filed June 6, 1960, Ser. No. 34,033 1 Claim. (Cl. 160-84) The present invention is directed to improved folding door structures of the type characterized by the provision of a collapsible and expandable frame having attached thereto at spaced points therealong a foldable cover member formed with a plurality of flat pleating areas interconnected by flexible hinge areas. More specifically, the invention deals with the provision of a new and improved cover member for use in a folding door structure, the cover member being provided with special fabric stiffening means operative in the flat pleating areas, the stillening means being provided in varying forms and adapted for special application in a manner which also is a part of the invention.

It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved folding door structure and cover member therefor, the cover member being provided in a novel manner with fabric stiffening means which function uniquely to provide points of attachment of the cover member to the frame of the door structure and enhance the appearance of the door structure during collapsing and expanding operations thereof, the stiffening means being available for use in different forms and certain of these forms permitting use of a new and improved method of attaching the stiftening means to a cover member fabric, which method also forms a part of 'the invention.

Other objects will be more apparent hereinafter.

FIG. l illustrates a folding door structure in fragmentary perspective, this structure being improved by the application of .the stiffening means of the present invention to the cover means thereof with the cover means being shown in part detached from the frame of the door structure to better illustrate the same;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the cover means of FIG. 1 taken generally along line 2-2 therein;

FIG. 3 is a perspective of one form of stiiening means prepared for attachment to a cover means in accordance with the method of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective of another form of stiffening means prepared for attachment to a cover means; and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic showing in fragmentary elevation of the method of applying the stiffening means to the cover means in accordance with the invention.

Foldable door structures may include a lazy tongs type frame with flexible fabric cover members attached to the frame along opposite sides thereof. The cover members are usually provided with completely flexible tapes which are sewed along their top or bottom margins directly to the cover member near the top and bottom margins of the cover member. By reason of this arrangement, access to the area between the tapes and the inner surface of the cover member is made possible to insert suitable fasteners through the tape and through appropriate apertures in hinge plates forming a part of the door structure frame. The cover members are then supported by the fasteners -along the .top and bottom margins of the cover members through the tapes and the cover members and tapes will readily fold and unfold with the door structure frame during operation thereof.

'Ihe cover members with the door structure frame form a series of pleats including flat pleat areas interconnected by hinge-like areas and the fasteners are utilized in the flat pleat areas so as not to interfere with proper folding and unfolding of the cover members in the hinge areas.

3,095,032 Patented June 25, 1963 The completely flexible natu-re of the cover member fabric and supporting tapes lacks adequate rigidity in the flat pleat areas to prevent puckering or bunching of the materials. The puckering or bunching is caused by thefact that the fasteners are rather substantially spaced from one another longitudinally of Ithe cover member while supporting the entire weight thereof. This problem is present in any folding door structuce wherein a cover member is supported in the manner described regardless of the type of frame used. The present invention overcomes these disadvantages and materially improves the appearance of any appropriate door structure regardless of the type of frame used and the operational positioning thereof while further providing a means whereby considerable tedious and costly labor can be saved during fabrication and assembly of the door structure.

FIG. l illustrates a folding door structure of generally well known type including a lazy tongs frame formed from a plurality of hinge plates 10 pivotally interconnec-ted in a plurality of vertically spaced rows by pintles 11. A lead post .12 and back post 13:` define the opposite ends of the frame and have suitably attached thereto opposite ends of flexible fabric cover members 14 which are suitably mounted along opposite sides of the frame for folding and unfolding operation therewith. A portion of one cover member 14 is shown partially detached from the frame in FIG. l and the top and bottom inner surface marginal portions thereof are illustrated as having attached thereto a plurality of longitudinally spaced, rectangular stideners 15. As particularly shown in FIGS. 1 3, the stiffeners are suitably secured to a tape-like support 16 which extends continuously along the cover member 14 when attached thereto as shown in FIG. l. Preferably, the stiffeners 15 are adhesively secured to the tape support 16 and hold captive therebetween a known type of fastener including a flat head 17 and bendable legs 18 which are inserted through an aperture 19 in each stiffener `15 to project inwardly from the inner face of the cover member 14 to be received in suitable apertures 20 (FIG. 1) of the hinge plates 10.

As shown in FIG. l, each cover member 14 provides a plurality of flat pleat areas Z1 which are interconnected by hinge-like areas Z2. The tape `16, which may be formed from any suitable flexible material such as paper or fabric, carrying the stifeners 1S are secured to the cover member 14 by being sewed along lines Z3 and 24 thereto. The sew line y2,3 extends. continuously Valong the tape 16 and spaced stiffeners 15 just inwardly of the innermost margins thereof and the sew line 24 extends along the tape and spaced stiffeners just inwardly of the outermost margins thereof yand also functions to hold down an inturned top and bottom edge 2,5 of the cover member to provide the same with smooth rounded edges of pleasing appearance.

A modified form of stiffening means is shown in FIG. 4. This means includes a plurality of rectangular-type projections 2d which Iare integrally formed with a continuous connecting strip Z7 along base margins thereof. rPhe -stiffeners 15 and 26 are formed from relatively rigid material such `as a plastic or the like and the modification of FIG. 4 may be formed fromv one-piece material as is readily apparent. Fasteners 18 are inserted through suitable apertures in the stiffeners 26 and the continuous strip may be sewed to a cover member 14 in the same manner Ias described in connection with the strip 16. With this arrangement the flat heads of the fasteners 14 are held captive between the stiffeners 26 and the inner surface of the cover member 14.

FIG. 5 illustrates an efficient method of applying a continuous stiffener strip to a cover member made possible by the novel design 4and arrangement of stiffeners as described above. A suitable Work table 28 carries thereon a sewing machine 29 and a rolled cover member M- having a [flattened marginal portion 30' arranged to be passed through the sewing machine 29 as the cover member slides along the top Vsurface of the Work table 28. A stiffener strip 16 is fed through a suitable slot (not shown) in the Work surface of the table 2S from a supply container 31. The strip 16 is `aligned with the flat margin 30 of the cover member 14 and the two when properly combined are passed through the sewing machine w-ith proper stitching of the strip to the cover member occinring. It Will be understood that opposite margins of the cover member may have suitable strips affixed thereto by the use of a plurality of sewing machines and by proper arrangement of sewing machines all sew lines may be attended to during a single pass of the cover member across the Work surface of the ta-ble 28. This method eliminates tedious and sometimes difficult hand insertion of the fasteners 18 through a tape which has been sewed to a cover member as is generally practiced.

The stiffeners l and 216 are located in the ila't pleat areas 21 of the cover member 14- to stiffen these areas and improve the appearance thereof. The stiffeners prevent the formation of puckers in these pleat areas and with proper Ispacing of .the `stiffeners the requisite flexibility of t-he hinge-like areas 22 is not adversely affected. The connecting strip 27 of the modication of FIG. 4 is adequately exible by reason of its thinness to overlie a ilexible hinge-like area 22 of a cover member without interfering with the required flexibility thereof.

Obviously cer-tain modifications and variations of the invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claim.

I claim.

In an accordion-type folding door structure characterized by the `provision of a l-aZytongs-type collapsible and expandable frame having attached thereto at spaced points therealong a folda'ble cover member formed with a plurality of flat pleating areas interconnected by flexible hinge areas, .the improvement of non-folding pleating areas stiffening means attached to the cover member along the inner surface thereof in longitudinally spaced and :aligned relation andl confined to each pleating area, each stiifening means being of substantial size in each pleating area and being ,interconnected with adjacent stiifening means by a readilytiexible strip means overlying the flexible hinge areas of said cover member, said strip means being of substantially reduced Width as compared to the width of said stiifening means and being integrally formed with said stilening means and from the same material thereof, `said stifening means and strip means being attached to said cover mem-ber along bottom longitudinal edge portions of sai-d stiiening means and strip means by a continuous sew line, fastening means projecting transversely through said stiifening means into attachment with said frame and being held captive between said stiffen-ing means and said cover member, said stiifening means rigidifying the cover member at its points of attachment to -the frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 661,160.8 Hortzclaw Nev. 13, 1900 12,512,736 Brenner et al. lune 27, 1950 2,677,134 Guyton May 4, 1954 21,906,055 Merrill Sept. 8, 1959 

